721. 'And those inhabiting the land have been made drunk with the wine of her whoredom' signifies the insaneness in spiritual things resulting from the adulteration of the Word with those who are in that form of religion. By 'to be made drunk with the wine of whoredom' is signified to be insane in spiritual things as a result of the falsification of the truths (veritas) of the Word, here as the result of the adulteration thereof. By 'wine' is signified the Divine Truth of the Word (n. 316); and by 'whoredom' is signified the falsification and adulteration thereof (n. 134, 620, 632, 635). Consequently by 'to be made drunk with that wine' is signified to be insane in spiritual things. By 'those inhabiting the land' are signified those who are in the Church, as above (chap. xi 10; xii 12; xiii 13, 14; xiv 6); here, however, those who are in that form of religion, since the Church is not there because they do not approach the Lord nor read the Word, and because they invoke the dead, as above (n. 718). That 'to be made drunk with that wine' signifies to be insane in spiritual things may indeed be seen without confirmation from other passages in the Word. But as many do not see this because they do not think spiritually but sensually, that is, materially about the details of the Word, when they are reading it, I am willing to adduce some passages out of the Word confirming that 'to be made drunk' signifies to he insane in spiritual things, that is, in theological things. These are:-
They have been made drunk without wine, they are staggering without strong drink Isa. xxix 9.
Hear, thou afflicted [Jerusalem], drunk but without wine Isa. li 21.
Babel is a goblet of gold in the hand of Jehovah, making the entire land drunken. The nations have drunk of her wine, therefore the nations are mad Jer. li 7.
Let Babel be for hissing, when they have become warm I will set their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may exult, and may sleep the sleep of an age, and not awake Jer. li 37, 39.
It has fallen, Babylon has fallen, because she has made all the nations drink the wine of her whoredom Rev. xiv 8; xviii 3.
Let every bottle be filled with wine; behold I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, the kings, the priests and the prophets, with drunkenness Jer. xiii 12, 13.
Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the goblet of devastation and desolation Ezek. xxiii 32, 33.
O daughter of Edom, also to thee shall the goblet pass, thou shalt be drunken and shalt be uncovered Lam. iv 21.
Thou also shalt be drunken Nahum iii 11.
Drink and be drunken, and vomit and fall, that you may not rise again Jer. xxv 27.
Woe to the wise in their own eyes, and intelligent before their own faces, woe to the heroes to drink wine, and to the men of strength to mingle strong drink Isa. v 21, 22;
besides elsewhere, as Isa. xix 11, 12, 14; xxiv 20; xxviii 1, 3, 7-9; lvi 12; Jer. xxiii 9, 10; Lam. iii 15; Hosea iv 11, 12, 17, 18; Joel i 5-7; Hab. ii 15; Ps. lxxv 8 [H.B. 9]; cvii 27.
This page is part of 
© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church